Multi-million-pound contract for rail ticket supplier

Richard Farmer

A supplier of magnetic tickets and smart applications for the mass transit sector has secured a two-year extension of its contract – worth £14m.

BemroseBooth Paragon (BBP), based in Hull, last year supplied 900m rail tickets to UK operators. As well as extending its contract with Rail Delivery Group, the firm has also been named preferred supplier for smart ticketing as UK rail makes the transition from paper based magnetic tickets to contactless or smart alternatives.

With manufacturing facilities in Hull, Boston and Wisbech, BBP will continue to supply all tickets for RDG to 2020. The firm will also provide marketing material distribution and print management services for RDG and rail operating companies.

Sales and marketing director for BBP, Richard Farmer, said: “I am delighted to have extended the rail ticket supply contract. BBP and RDG have agreed that we will work closely together to make the transition from traditional magnetic stripe paper tickets to paper and plastic smart ticketing.

“As well as improving efficiencies for operators and rail users, this progression will also help to deliver on the vision of the Transport Secretary for a smart ticketing alternative to paper tickets being available to all passengers.”

Technology services director for RDG, Dennis Rocks, said: “BBP’s paper ticket pedigree makes it a leader in the field and this wider cooperation means that the company will also make its smart ticketing knowledge and ITSO manufacturing expertise available to RDG and UK train operators.

“With this partnership in place, we know that we can increase the use of simpler, smarter ticketing on the UK rail network, helping people to move through stations and trains quicker and easier, increasing customer satisfaction.”

BBP is a fully owned subsidiary of Paragon ID and leading supplier of both traditional magnetic, thermal and barcode tickets for the transportation sector. It also provides a variety of smart products and services including RFID tags, smart cards and tickets, contact and contactless cards.

Responsible for the supply of almost 1bn magnetic stripe tickets for the UK train operating companies, BBP acquired Burall InfoSmart in June. This strategic acquisition supported the business as it launched ITSO approved smart products and services into the sector, assisting the UK train operators to make a smooth transition from traditional to smart ticketing, as well as expanding the offering into the broader transportation sector.

Click here to sign up to receive our new South West business news...
Close